Get support on your 2026 certification journey—scholarships are now open. Learn more & apply

Expanding access to lifestyle medicine in underserved communities

Research shows that the burden of chronic disease falls disproportionately on communities with limited access to affordable, culturally responsive healthcare due to location, income level and other factors.

ACLM is committed to ensuring that the benefits of lifestyle medicine reach all people, regardless of zip code, income or background. Our work focuses on equipping clinicians and health systems to deliver effective, sustainable lifestyle care in underserved settings through:

Expanding clinician education and care delivery models, like lifestyle medicine shared medical appointments (LMSMAs), through Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)

Developing education, training and implementation models that are culturally responsive

Supporting a trained workforce that reflects the communities being served

Strengthening community engagement and partnerships for long-term impact

Support for clinicians serving communities health settings

Clinicians working in FQHCs and community health centers face unique challenges—and unique opportunities—to advance lifestyle medicine at scale. ACLM membership connects clinicians and care teams to education, tools, and peer support designed for this work. ACLM’s FQHC Subgroup brings together clinicians committed to advancing lifestyle medicine in underserved settings, creating space for peer connection, shared learning, and practical insight into culturally responsive care models, LMSMAs, and sustainable implementation strategies within safety‑net systems.

Join ACLM today

Partnering to build a stronger health center workforce

ACLM and NACHC: A shared commitment

Community Health Centers (CHCs) are the nation’s largest primary care system, serving millions on the front lines of chronic disease care. ACLM is proud to support the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and
health center teams using lifestyle medicine to address the root causes of chronic disease in underserved communities.

ACLM and NACHC are investing in a healthier future by equipping community health center teams with lifestyle medicine training:

$250,000 in complimentary Lifestyle Medicine Fundamentals training for 1,000 health center staff
National Training Initiative (NTI) scholarships covering
50% of board certification costs for CHC primary care
providers (MD/DO/NP/PA)

Learn more

Integrating lifestyle medicine into health center transformation

This five-part webinar series hosted by NACHC provides a comprehensive, step-by-step exploration of how Lifestyle Medicine Shared Medical Appointments (LMSMAs) can transform chronic disease care within community health centers. Designed for clinical, operational, and programmatic leaders, the series illustrates how evidence-based lifestyle interventions, scalable care models, and interprofessional teamwork can strengthen whole-person care while advancing value-based outcomes.

May 19, 2026

What is Lifestyle Medicine and LMSMAs?

This first out of five webinar sessions in its series provides an overview of Lifestyle Medicine and the use of Shared Medical Appointments (LMSMAs) within community health centers. Participants will explore the core principles, structure, and evidence base supporting these models, while examining their clinical, operational, and financial benefits for federally qualified health centers. The session will highlight how to identify appropriate patient populations across the chronic disease continuum and outline practical strategies for implementing LMSMAs in clinical practice, including care team roles, workflow, documentation, and billing. Attendees will also assess organizational readiness and leave with actionable steps to begin integrating LMSMAs into their own clinical practice settings.

Register now

May 26, 2026

Full Plate Living (FPL)

This webinar session two of five explores how Full Plate Living’s curriculum integrates food-as-medicine principles and fiber-forward nutrition to deliver culturally adaptable, affordable care for diverse populations. Participants will learn how to use Shared Medical Appointments (LMSMAs) to boost patient engagement through interactive, group-based approaches such as cooking demonstrations that build skills, strengthen community, and support lasting behavior change. The session will also guide attendees in assessing organizational readiness and developing practical next steps to implement these strategies within their own health center.

Register now

June 2, 2026

Lifestyle Empowerment
Approach for Diabetes Remission (LEADR)

This webinar session three of five introduces the core components of the Lifestyle Empowerment Approach for Diabetes Remission (LEADR) curriculum and its role as a structured option for delivering Lifestyle Medicine Shared Medical Appointments (LMSMAs). Participants will explore practical strategies for integrating LEADR as a lifestyle medicine intervention to improve diabetes outcomes while supporting care teams and minimizing burden. The session will also support attendees in developing an action plan to assess organizational readiness and identify next steps for incorporating LEADR into their own clinical settings.

Register now

June 16, 2026

SLIM (Supervised Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine) Weight Loss

This webinar session four of five provides an overview of the Supervised Lifestyle and Integrative Medicine (SLIM) model and its application within group visits for patients with obesity and other chronic conditions. Participants will learn how to integrate the SLIM curriculum with medical management—including the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists—to support sustainable behavior change and improved outcomes. The session will also outline practical strategies for implementing SLIM in clinical practice, including care team roles, patient engagement approaches, and key operational and billing considerations to support scalable, team-based obesity care.

Register now

June 23, 2026

Diabetes Self-management Education & Support (DSMES)

This final webinar session of the series introduces the key components of the Diabetes Self-management Education & Support (DSMES) framework and its evidence-based approach to supporting chronic disease self-management. Participants will learn how to apply DSMES core elements to support chronic disease self-management through Lifestyle Medicine Shared Medical Appointments (LMSMAs) across diverse clinical settings. The session will also explore strategies for integrating DSMES principles into LMSMAs to support patient self-management, including sustainability planning, stakeholder engagement, and defining measurable outcomes.

Register now

Education and implementation support

We work with administrators and clinicians to understand how to best meet the unique goals of high-need, low-resource settings.

A phased approach to integrating lifestyle medicine generally includes:

training

Education and training for members of the interprofessional care team, designed to support lifestyle medicine delivery in high-need, low-resource settings.

Explore Training

resources

Practical implementation tools and access to communities of practice, developed to accelerate and sustain clinical delivery of lifestyle medicine in underserved communities.

Access FQHC/CHC Toolkit

framework

Guidance to integrate lifestyle medicine into existing workflows and connect clinical care with community resources through the Community Engaged Lifestyle Medicine (CELM) model, an evidence-based, published framework developed by clinicians working with medically underserved populations.

Learn More About CELM

Scholarship support

ACLM aims to remove the financial burden for those serving medically under-resourced communities to pursue advanced training in lifestyle medicine. Through scholarship support, our goal is to develop leaders who can lead care teams and catalyze long-term sustainability within high-need, low resource settings.

View scholarship opportunities

Advancing health equity through lifestyle medicine

Member Group

The HEAL Initiative includes advocates who are transforming their communities by making lifestyle medicine accessible to whoever needs it, no matter the barriers.

Learn more about the work they’re doing and join the HEAL Initiative to share your strategies for bringing lifestyle medicine to undeserved communities.

Join today

Partners Include

Where lifestyle medicine is making an impact in underserved communities

Lifestyle medicine is embedded in underserved communities across the nation, bringing evidence-based approaches to communities that need it most. Clinicians in these areas are using lifestyle medicine interventions to address chronic disease and improve health outcomes where traditional resources are limited.

Clinical & Community Integration

Transforming rural health through lifestyle medicine

Integrating lifestyle medicine into applications for the new $50 billion Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Rural Health Transformation Program offers a powerful framework to improve population health, boost workforce efficiency, and reduce healthcare costs in rural communities.

Lifestyle medicine for all: Interventions for treating chronic disease in under-resourced patient populations

Learn More

Group of diverse health care workers high fiving

Clinical & Community Integration

Health care, not sick care: Giving patients what they really want

Learn More

Photo of Marcia-Gail Davis in her labcoat

Clinical & Community Integration

ACLM celebrates National Health Center Week and FQHC/CHC clinicians all year long

Learn More

Diverse group of physicians gathers outside a hospital